Recognising counterfeits and illegal offers

by Swissmedic

Guideline on medicines and the internet

Indicators when buying online:

Counterfeiters are increasingly using the internet to sell their products. In addition to the usual signs to look out for, here are some tips on how to identify genuine offers in online shops and also on online marketplaces:

Price

Quality goods come at a cost on the internet too – an unusually wide range of products for excessively low prices can be a sign that the goods are counterfeit. It’s worth doing a quick comparison of prices and products. Even a small discount on very popular products can be an indication of fraud.

Unusual domain names or spellings

Unusual domain names for online shops, such as XY-outletswitzerland.eu or XY-cheap.com, or additions of names or places, such as Zurich-Fashion or Basel-, are suspicious.

Language/images/logos

Verify the source of images by carrying out an image search for the product name. Check for spelling mistakes and machine-translated texts, e.g. in the General Terms and Conditions.

Suspicious product description

If a product is advertised as a “copy”, “imitation”, “replica”, “cheap”, or “lookalike” then it’s clearly a fake. Also exercise caution if designations like “imported goods”, “in the style of”, “type” or “similar to” are used.

Contact/company information

Reputable shops have complete contact details with an address (check on Google Maps), email address and a phone number.

Check the seal of approval

Seals of approval such as ‘Trusted Shops’ and ‘Swiss Online Garantie’ must be linked. If they’re not, the seller isn’t genuine, and the seal is there to mislead you. In this case, call the e-commerce ombuds man office at the consumer forum kf (in German only).

Seller reviews

Customer reviews that point towards counterfeit products or defects posted in online forums, such as trustedshops.com, can provide valuable information about the reliability of the seller.

Cybersecurity

Ensure that the website is encrypted during the purchasing/payment process. Think about which platforms you want to make your private data available to.

Return options

Check the return options – an email address usually isn’t enough.

General indicators of counterfeit and pirated products

Luxury products are rarely sold at the beach or at markets.

Price

Is there a realistic price difference in comparison to the original product?

Packaging

Genuine products are not sold in badly-printed damaged or cheap packaging. Counterfeiters also don’t usually conform to mandatory or customary labelling requirements, such as place of manufacture, composition, importer etc.

Labelling

Packaging, labels or enclosures with spelling or language mistakes often indicate that the product is a fake.

Missing product enclosures

If guarantee slips, certificates and instructions are not delivered with the item, exercise caution. However, product enclosures and seals of quality are not necessarily a guarantee for authenticity because they, of course, can be forged too.

Sales location and tactics

Luxury items are rarely sold on the beach or at markets. Medication should only be purchased from specialised retailers. To be on the safe side, ask the original manufacturer for a list of authorised retailers.

Quality

Counterfeiters usually use cheaper materials than the original manufacturer or those specified on the label.